Science

Shooting stars darting across the darkened Southern California skies from an annual meteor shower will appear strongest over the next two days. Prime viewing starts Friday morning and continuing into Saturday, according to astronomical observers. The annual Quadrantids meteor shower will hit peak visibility, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere with around 25 meteors per hour, […]

More than 100 women have filed a new lawsuit against obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Barry J. Brock and the facilities where he worked, claiming that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other medical practices knowingly concealed his alleged sexual abuses and medical misconduct. The 107 new plaintiffs join 60 other former patients who have accused Brock in lawsuits last

SAN FRANCISCO —  After surging during the COVID pandemic into a crushing public health emergency, drug overdose deaths in San Francisco plummeted in 2024, according to preliminary data compiled by city health officials. The chief medical examiner’s office recorded 586 fatal overdoses in San Francisco in the first 11 months of 2024. That represents a nearly

With the winter cold and flu season upon us, Americans should be on the lookout for another ultra-contagious virus: our most common stomach bug. The U.S. experienced the largest December norovirus surge since at least 2012, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the week of Dec. 5, state health

The ads on podcasts and social media were tantalizing: over-the-counter probiotic supplements that could ward off the worst effects of a hangover if taken before drinking. As a bourbon reviewer who enjoys the flavor of spirits but has always been easily prone to hangovers, Eric Burke was intrigued. He ordered a few bottles of Pre-Alcohol,

Just five months after giving birth to our third (and final) child in 2015, my wife experienced something odd: Her smile became crooked. Appearance didn’t matter, of course. This was just different enough to be noticeable and concerning, like that new mole you should probably have checked out. Over the next few months, well-meaning doctors

A former Van Nuys physician who recently surrendered his medical license following sexual harassment accusations has agreed to a $15-million federal settlement over allegations that he and fellow defendants submitted false claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal. The U.S. Department of Justice accused Mohammad Rasekhi, his spouse and business partner, Sheila Busheri, the medical center he

It’s that time of year, when families and friends come together to share their holiday cheer and a few circulating pathogens. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, said people should be on the lookout for the “Big Four”: three respiratory viruses currently moving through the U.S. — influenza, COVID-19 and RSV

As the H5N1 bird flu virus steamrolls its way across the globe — killing wild animals, commercial livestock and even some people — scientists and health officials fear we’re on the precipice of another global pandemic. But when, where and how that could come to pass is hard to predict — in part, some researchers

You might have heard of Lise Meitner. A native of Austria, she was the first woman to become a full professor of physics in Germany. She also helped discover nuclear fission. Yet the 1944 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for that accomplishment went solely to her longtime collaborator, Otto Hahn. Meitner battled misogyny and sexism at